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Hey! Sam here 👋 I’ve spent the last 10+ years leading marketing and growth for early-stage tech startups, helping them scale from 0 to 8 figures. Each week, I share actionable insights to help founders and marketing leaders like you drive sustainable growth.

Four years ago, I launched a product I was sure would be a hit.
The research was solid. The design? Great. The launch plan? Strong. I’d poured months into this product, convinced we were about to change the trajectory of the business.

But when we went live... crickets.

I looked at the sales dashboard, refreshing again and again, waiting for something—anything—to happen.

But there it was: Zero sales. 

After all that time and effort, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

Where did I go wrong?

Turns out, I was focusing on the wrong things entirely.

And if you’ve ever experienced this, you’re not alone.

For years, I’ve been fascinated by product-market fit (PMF)—that hard-to-nail moment when everything clicks. It’s what separates products that take off from those that struggle to survive.

In my search for answers, I came across Alan Klement, the author of one of the most popular Jobs-to-be-Done books “When Coffee and Kale Compete”, and a PMF consultant for the biggest tech names. Alan’s worked with companies like Intercom, Pipedrive, and Nokia, helping them unlock true PMF. His approach flipped my understanding of why products succeed—and why they fail.

If your product isn’t selling like it should, you’re probably focused on the wrong things too.

Here’s what I learned—and how you can fix it.

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Busting 3 big myths about making products people love

🔑 Myth #1: A/B tests will show you what customers want

A/B testing is useful for tweaking small details, like button colors or form layouts. It works because these tests assume everyone is trying to achieve the same goal, like filling out a form. But when it comes to things like messaging, pricing, or product demand, A/B testing falls short.

Why? Because A/B tests don’t account for customer intent. Is the visitor still shopping around, or are they ready to buy? A shopper rarely buys no matter what you show them. A buyer, on the other hand, will purchase regardless of the small tweaks you’re testing.

What to do instead:
Talk to your customers directly. Set up "fake" shopping scenarios. Get 5-10 potential customers on video calls and show them your product alongside competitors. Ask them to talk out loud while they browse. Get curious about what they think and do. You’ll learn far more about what drives their choices than a split test ever could.

🔑 Myth #2: PMF is about solving your customer’s needs

We fall into the trap of thinking that PMF is about solving customer’s needs. Not true. A product that perfectly solves their needs but is also hard to use or costs too much will lose to a "good enough" product that is easy to use and consumers consider a "good buy".

Your customers aren’t looking at your product in isolation. They’re comparing it to alternatives—whether that’s a competitor’s product or a DIY solution they’ve pieced together themselves. You could spend months perfecting features that don’t even matter to them if you don’t understand what you’re competing against.

What to do instead:

• Pick a strategy. Will you offer something 10x better (iPhone vs. Blackberry) and charge more for it? Or will you compete by offering a great deal (IKEA vs. Ethan Allen)? Deciding this upfront helps you focus on what matters: either a 10x improvement in quality or is the best deal available.

• Test the strategy. Don’t just test if people like your product. Test if they prefer the entire package—price, ease of use, branding, and how it fits into their lives—over what they’re currently using.

• Iterate & model. Try different product concepts. Keep testing and refining until you find the winning combination. Use what you learn to fine-tune your product. Are customers hesitant because it’s too expensive? Is it the branding or the look that’s throwing them off? Or maybe it’s not solving their problem in the way they expect. As you gather data, keep adjusting until your product feels like the obvious choice over what’s already out there.

🔑 Myth #3: If it’s not selling, lower the price

When sales are slow, it’s tempting to blame the price. But lowering the price won’t solve what’s really holding customers back.

Here’s the problem:
Alan shared a story about Dreem, a company selling sleep-tracking headbands. They assumed the high price was scaring off customers, but when Alan interviewed prospects, they uncovered a deeper issue: trust. Shoppers didn’t believe the device would work as promised. They worried it would be uncomfortable to wear, and since the brand was unfamiliar, they doubted its reliability.

Lowering the price wouldn’t have solved that.

What to do instead:
Ask your prospects what's really stopping them from buying. Most of the time, it's not the price—it’s something deeper. It could be a trust issue, confusion, or friction in using the product. Once you uncover these barriers, address them directly—through better messaging, customer support, or product tweaks that build confidence. Dropping the price only hides the real problem. Focus on building trust and addressing the actual barriers.

The real reason your product isn’t selling

It’s easy to blame price, features, or marketing when your product isn’t moving, but those are rarely the real culprits. The root issue is often a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of what truly matters to your customers.

Customers don’t just want the “best” product—they want one that fits seamlessly into their life, solves their biggest problem, and feels reliable. If your product feels unfamiliar, too complicated, or if they’re unsure it will deliver, no amount of price cuts or feature tweaks will change their mind.

The key is to understand the deeper reasons why customers hesitate: is it usability, comfort, or a lack of confidence in the brand? Once you know this, you can focus on addressing these concerns, building trust, and making your product feel like the natural choice.

And remember, PMF isn’t a “set it and forget it” milestone. It evolves as your market, customers, and competition change. What works today might not work tomorrow, so you need to continuously adapt and refine.

If you’re interested in PMF, you’ll want to check out Alan’s upcoming Jobs 2.0 (waitlist). It takes a deeper dive into how customers really make decisions—and how you can build a product that fits into their world effortlessly.

🔍 Sam Pick’s - resources worth your time

• How to know you’ve achieved PMF

• How Superhuman built an engine to find PMF by Raul Vohra

• How to find PMF by David Rusenko from YC

Whenever you’re ready, there are two ways I can help you:

• Follow me on Twitter/X and LinkedIn for content like this during the week.

• Work with me 1:1 to help you grow your business to $10MM ARR. Let’s chat.

  Ideal if you’re a founder doing +$1M ARR

Until next time 👋

Sam

PS. I’m here to help YOU grow. What’s the one thing you’re struggling with in your business right now?